


Wolf Spirit

by Pan (Lucky_Cassandra)



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, Dreams and Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 23:43:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18861355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucky_Cassandra/pseuds/Pan
Summary: Twilight has a strange, vivid and painful nightmare. But it was just a dream, wasn't it? He's never travelled with Wild in his Hyrule before Ganon was defeated, did he?





	Wolf Spirit

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the amazing Spirit Link AU by 10yrsyart . Go check their work out on Tumblr! And of course also inspired by the LU Discord Server. I love all of you guys so much.

Twilight sat up gasping. It took him a few seconds to reorient himself through the pain he was in. The other Links were sleeping, the fire had died down so it must have been late. Or early, actually, as the eastern horizon was lighting up behind the trees. The only other one awake was Wild, on watch. Again. Did he ever sleep more than four hours at a time?

Twilight rubbed his face roughly and tried to even out his breathing, holding his other hand to his ribcage. The dream had been so vivid. He had been in wolf form, and had been travelling with Wild, just the two of them, in his Hyrule. Wild looked just like he did now, scars and all, but his hair was noticeably shorter. The land was still full of monsters and malice, just how Wild had described it from before he defeated Ganon. There was an attack, a mixed pack of lizalfos and moblins, and Wild had taken a hit and was down, struggling to breathe and to get up after a vicious blow from a mace. A moblin was slowly advancing, mace still held high, ready to strike again. Twilight had pounced, aiming to maul the moblin's throat out, but a lizalfos with some kind of three-bladed weapon had swung at him mid jump, and he had awoken in a cold sweat, a burning ghost pain flaring through his left side.

Still dazed, he looked up to find Wild had silently moved to kneel at his side, a concerned look on his face.

"Are you all right?" Wild asked. "Nightmare?" he added softly.

Twilight hadn't caught his breath yet, so he just lifted a shoulder and tilted his head to the side, a vague gesture to mirror the confusion he was feeling.

Wild sat down beside him and gently put a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Did he? It was just a dream, none of them were strangers to nightmares, they all had them from time to time, memories from the past mixed with fears and regrets. This definitely had not been a memory, though. Maybe it had just been an expression of his protectiveness of Wild, of the constant worry over the Cub's reckless tendencies in a fight, of the regret he felt when he imagined Wild alone during his gruelling quest.

It had felt so real, thought. So detailed. It had felt like the nightmares about memories felt like. But it couldn't have been.

Wild was still looking at him, waiting for Twilight to speak with worry and a question in his eyes.

His breathing finally evened out and the pain in his side subsided. Twilight slowly lifted his hand to his forehead and found it warm and clammy. 

"Do you want a drink of water?" Wild shifted slightly, as if to stand. He seemed to have decided Twilight was not going to speak, and he definitely was not one to press.

"Have you ever met a wolf during your quest?" Twilight asked in a whisper. Wild was moving to stand but froze mid-movement, his head half turned away from Twilight. What little he could see of Wild's face was obscured by the long hair, so there was no way to see the look in his eyes, but his shoulders had stiffened, so Twilight knew he has struck some kind of nerve. If he only he knew what kind. 

The answer was obviously yes.

"I'm not talking about the wolves in the wild who hunt in packs," Twilight added, thought he felt it to be unnecessary.

Slowly, very slowly, Wild turned to face him again, a carefully controlled look on his face. Only the months growing as close as brothers allowed Twilight to see the flicker of pain in the Cub's eyes.

"Why do you ask?" Wild asked, his voice level.

Suddenly something else hit Twilight, something that had just come so naturally he had never questioned it, but now...

"How did you know it was me, the first time you saw me in wolf form?" he asked carefully.

Wild's posture went impossibly stiffer, his face blank. It was like he was trying to build a wall between himself and the world, between the two of them. But what was it he was trying so hard to hide? 

_Oh._

"Or was it the other way around? Did you know I could turn into a wolf when you saw me the first time?" 

Wild's facade broke and a look of horror crossed his features. "So it _was_ you..." he whispered. "You never brought it up, never said anything, so I... Why didn't you tell me?"

Twilight felt his jaw go slack. What was going on here? "I... just dreamed of it. I have no recollection of it ever happening. I just saw us in my dream, during your quest. I... followed you. Tried to help you."

Wild choked back a sob, covering his mouth with his hand. His eyes were glistening with unshed tears. After a long moment, he began talking.

"There was a wolf, who looked just like you. I could summon him, somehow, when I needed him? The first time was entirely by mistake, I was lost in a snow storm, half-frozen, my last decent weapon gone. The Sheikah slate was not working properly in the blizzard, I couldn't teleport out. I think I... prayed for help, or something. The wolf found me, guided me to a cave, saved my life. He followed me around until I had to teleport away. I thought I'd never see him again, but one night I was tired and wounded, out of potions, and I fell in a Yiga ambush. I... asked for help again, and he came. Saved me again. At that point I figured I could call him when I wanted. He couldn't come with me all the time, I would paraglide off cliffs or teleport and he would remain behind. Also, he wouldn't come into the divine beasts. But whenever I needed him he was there in a heartbeat. Then one day... he was killed defending me from monsters. I finished them off after he was wounded, and then... held him as he died. He just... disappeared. I... never tried summoning him again. Couldn't face it. I don't know if he would have come back." 

Wild looked up into Twilight's eyes. Tears were now flowing freely down his face. "When I met you again I knew. I would have recognized those eyes anywhere, even in a different face. I didn't know if I should have been happy you were alive or horrified that you had actually died for me."

Twilight was stunned, he couldn't move, think, breathe. _Just what_ was going on? Had it really been him? They had all seen strange things, but this... this... 

Suddenly it hit him. Time had come as a spirit for him during his quest. Could it be possible that he... He had never told anyone about the Hero's Shade, not even Time. Especially not Time.

"Cub, I... don't know. I don't remember any of that, maybe it's something in my future?" he asked hesitatingly.

Wild started at that. "Then don't." he said fiercely. "When the time comes, don't come to me." His voice faded into a broken whisper. "I don't want... I don't want you to die for me. I don't want... to hold you when you die. It's... a memory I don't want."

There was nothing to say, nothing he could tell Wild that the Cub would want to hear. All Twilight could do was put his arms out and hug Wild tightly.

Because Twilight knew, without the shadow of a doubt, that if he ever got the chance to help Wild, he would. 

Whatever the cost.


End file.
